A Kenya Airways plane bound for Dubai with 133 passengers was Friday forced to return to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport due to tyre debris on the runway.
The tyre debris was sighted by air traffic control and was identified as belonging to KQ flight 310, which was en route to Dubai.
Witnesses said one of the tyres had plucked off as the plane took off.
It was discovered on the runway minutes later.
The Kenya Airways B738 had departed on the runway under KQA310, REG/5YCYD, to Dubai with 133 persons on board.
The plane had done almost an hour and reached Mandera while cruising to Dubai when the crew was informed to return to JKIA.
Officials said they did not want to cause panic in Dubai and it was in order to handle the crisis in Nairobi.
“It could have proceeded to Dubai but there was no need to cause more trouble there in terms of emergency services,” said an official who asked not to be named.
And after burning much of the fuel on air while circling around Athi River area, KQ flight 310’s crew followed safety procedures and successfully landed the plane back in Nairobi without an incident.
The landing was made amid panic and mobilization of emergency services.
In a statement on Friday, December 15, the national carrier disclosed that traffic control at JKIA sighted tyre debris on the runway.
The company said upon further probe they deduced that it belonged to KQ flight 310 that was heading to Dubai.
“Kenya Airways PLC (KQ) confirms that on 15 December 2023 at approximately 21:20 HRS, JKIA Air Traffic Control encountered tyre debris during a regular runway inspection. Upon further inspection, it was established by the KQ operations team that the tyre debris was from KQ 310, which had departed on a scheduled operation from Nairobi to Dubai,” read the statement in part.
It added KQ contacted the crew in the plane, and they followed safety procedures to ensure the aeroplane was safely back in Nairobi.
“The KQ operations team contacted the crew and agreed on a precautionary air turnback to Nairobi for further technical attention. The crew followed the precautionary safety procedures in consultation with operations control and returned to Nairobi safely, landing at 23:46 HRS without incident,” continued the statement.
The airline made arrangements to accommodate their customers.
It added the turnback was a normal procedure.
KQ said they were sorry for the inconvenience caused, maintaining that the safety of their passengers comes first.
“We sincerely apologize to our guests for the inconvenience and assure our customers that their safety and that of our crew is our highest priority.”
Earlier, Kenyan Airways had alerted passengers planning holiday travel of possible flight interruptions for an estimated two-week period.
KQ Managing Director and CEO Allan Kilavuka, cited challenges in acquiring aircraft spare parts as the reason behind the disruptions in flight schedules and the potential grounding of some Kenya Airways planes.
KQ expressed regret for inconveniences that may arise from the disruptions, reiterating its dedication to restoring normalcy as soon as possible.
It said in subsequent statements that the issues had been addressed. Friday’s incident is likely to be linked to the issue.
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